A Faerie's Tale
by mirrorsound
Summary: Migikata. Mentioning the mere name sparks a deep flame of hatred in Rin Kagami. As the princess of the Roshin Kingdom, the Migikata Kingdom's enemy, Rin has only one chasing dream; to become an assassin and aid in war. At least, it is until a mysterious enchantress turns Rin into a faerie, casting her off to the household of Len Kagamine—who just happens to be a Migikata peasant.
1. Chapter 1

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I stealthily slipped through the dense forestry, my acute senses surveying my surroundings. My hand instinctively tightened around the course leather gripping of my dagger's hilt.

He was around here somewhere. I could feel it.

I reached up for the nearest oak branch, nimbly hoisting myself to higher ground. I scanned the undergrowth below, searching for sign of anything unusual.

There. A patch of bright yellow hair, barely visible behind the green of a large shrub. A sly smirk slid its way across my face as I lowered myself to the ground and advanced.

Now I was close enough to hear his light breathing. I pounced over the bush, colliding squarely with his shoulders and pinning his back to the ground, his shocking icy blue eyes staring into my identical pair. I pressed the flat of my danger against his neck. He smiled. "Nice job," was his raspy response. "But you keep forgetting I'm bigger than you."

Oops.

With a powerful twist and kick, he launched me into the air, and I hit the ground in tight roll, lithely springing back to my feet. My opponent drew his gold-plated sword from its scabbard, pointing it in my direction. I gritted my teeth and drew my second dagger, grasping the twin blades in my two hands.

I decided to use the smaller range of my weapon to my advantage and acted offensively, flinging myself at him first. He easily evaded my lunge, sidestepping and swinging his blade in an arc that I caught in the cross of my knives. _Strike, block, block, strike, retreat, strike._ Pretty soon we fell into rhythm, as if our battle was a graceful ballroom dance, like the sort my prep tutors show me.

We were engrossed in our battle, feverously lunging, faking, and dodging, both of us fighting for the upper hand. He knew all of my tricks, and I knew most of his. Neither of us managed to land a single blow on each other, but I could feel myself losing ground. He was pushing me toward the glistening lake, and I tried to force myself forward, but found I was powerless to stop his advances. No matter how much I hated to admit it, he was a brilliant strategist.

I had to end this, soon. Digging deep into my power reserves, I uncovered a surge of strength. I stepped in toward my opponent, faked to the right, then the left, and finally slashed at him straight down the middle. He located my strike and was able to deflect it the last second, but it managed to throw him off-balance.

Now was my chance. I quickly assessed my surroundings, searching for something to use against him. A low, stiff branch was hanging directly over our heads. Perfect.

I leapt up and lodged my daggers into the trees thick bark. I swung my lower body with as much force I could muster and my feet connected with his chest, sending him reeling backwards. The sword fell out of his grasp and he lay sprawled on the ground, defenseless. Victory.

I jumped down from the branch, pulling out my daggers and gloating with triumph as I walked toward him.

And then I tripped.

My opponent took advantage of the moment and sprung back up, located their weapon, and stood over me, pinning me at sword point.

Clumsy me.

He lowered his sword and flashed a mischievous grin at me. "I won."

"Not fair!" I protested, plastering a childish pout on my face.

He just laughed and plopped to a sitting position on the ground beside me. "Of course it's fair, Rin. I didn't tell you it was okay to go tripping at the last second."

"But I had you, Rinto!"

"Well, I can't accept defeat from my little sister, now can I!" He pulled me into a loose headlock and tousled my hair playfully until I managed to escape his wrath. "Awww, C'mon Rin, lose that pout of yours."

I just puffed out my cheeks in response.

My brother rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll call it a tie. You're really improving! I'd say you could become a professional assassin in no time! You know, if mom and dad would let you."

I beamed. Compliments from Rinto were hard to get, especially concerning combat. "You really think so?"

Rinto smiled. "I know so."

I attacked him with a bear hug. "Thank you~"

He chuckled and lowered his arms around me, pulling me closer to his chest. I wanted to stay there forever, buried in Rinto's gentle embrace. I didn't get to see him much now that he was constantly away dealing with the war, and I missed him.

When he released me we sat there, sunlight streaming down on us between the leaves of the trees. "So, how's this princess stuff going lately?" Rinto inquired.

I made a fake gagging motion. "Not good." Our parents were the king and queen of the Roshin Kingdom, the most prosperous empire in the land, except for the Migikata Kingdom- don't even get me started on those idiots. I've always dreamt of being an army assassin for our country ever since the war was declared with Migikata when I was younger. Unfortunately, our parents are hell-bent on passing down classic princess responsibilities to me. "They keep hiring tutor after tutor to train me in 'princess courtesy'."

Rinto shook his head. "I bet that's been going well," he mumbled sarcastically. "You've probably been chasing those poor women out of your room with butter knives." Ah, Rinto, you know me all too well.

"And what's worse, now their trying to get me…" I gulped, trying to force the horrid word out of my mouth. "_married_."

Rinto started. "What? Already? You're only fourteen!"

"They're trying to convince the prince from the Kingdom of Kokoro to propose to me. He's twenty-seven!" I shivered. "And a total creep."

He looked at me with eyes full of sympathy. "Have you told mom and dad you weren't comfortable with marriage yet?"

"Of course! Like they care!" I sighed. "I'm never getting married. Ever. To anybody."

Rinto arched an eyebrow. "You're a little young to make a decision like that."

I let out a frustrated groan. "Rinto, can you honestly see me swooning over something as silly as a boy? It's pitiful the way girls act. I can't stand it. I'm not like most girls- I don't need romance. I don't want it. All it does is make you act stupid."

"Rin, what you just said sounds so very… Rin." Rinto told me, flashing a wry smile. "I guess you'll never change, no matter how long I'm away."

The built-up frustration dissipated suddenly. "Rinto… how long are you going to stay?"

"About two more weeks, then I'm being moved to organize the ranks at the western warfront." My disappointed expression didn't go unnoticed. "I'm sorry Rin, I wish I could spend more time with you, but this war is leaves me with a lot of responsibilities."

"It's alright." I forced a fake smile onto my face. "Go kick some Migikata butt for me!"

Rinto smiled. "I will. I promise." He pushed himself up from the green mat of grass and reached out his arm to help me up. "We should probably get going back before anyone notices we're missing."

Ever since we were young, we'd sneak away to this forest that lay on the outskirts of the capital. We were a good distance away from the castle, and we aren't even allowed to leave the property. But neither Rinto nor I enjoy feeling confined.

I waved away his arm. "You go ahead, I'll catch up. I want some alone time for a while."

Rinto hesitated, then shrugged. "Alright. Just come home soon, or I'll come back and drag you home myself." I watched as he pushed his way through the barricade of branches and walked out of sight.

I fell back to the grass and lay, gazing up at the sky, thinking. I wish this stupid war would end. I wanted Rinto to stop leaving me for months, sometimes whole years, on end. The castle was lonely without him.

Deep, burning anger welled in my chest, threatening to explode. It was anger that I've been cultivating for years, ever since Rinto first left to become the army captain, a duty that traditionally lay on the prince's shoulders. I hated the Migikata for the war. I hated every ounce of their being. I wished they would die. They all deserved to die. The world would be a much better place without their existence contaminating the rest of ours.

Controlled by furry, I stood up, and with my daggers at hand, began furiously slashing at the bark of the nearest tree. "Die… Migikata… die!" I yelled each word with every stab I took. "No… mercy… kill… them... all! Filthy… disgusting… creatures!"

By the end of my rage episode the tree was mutilated. I turned to walk home, wiping away my tears (some of the bark blew in my eyes, I was NOT crying), vaguely noticing the gray storm clouds that had replaced the earlier sunshine. I was about halfway to the edge of the woods when I heard a peculiar sound, almost like staggering footsteps. I melted into the bushes as the crunching came closer, wondering if Rinto somehow got lost on the way home. I'd enjoy popping out of the bushes to scare the living daylights out of him.

My breath caught in my throat when the owner of the footsteps stumbled into my line of vision. It was a hunched over, limping man. Blood was soaking through his shirt, dripping down his forehead, and his calf was oozing a trail blood. The man's right eye was sealed shut, and he held his arm at an unnatural angle. But that wasn't what surprised me the most.

It was a soldier. And his uniform was the unmistakable royal-blue color of the Migikata.

The man stopped to catch his breath mere feet from where I was hiding. His chest rose up and down in heavy wheezes. Without thinking I stepped out of the bushes and into his line of sight.

Startled, the man snapped his head up at me, a pleading glint in his eyes. "Help," he croaked. I made no move to do so. The man became more desperate. "Help, I'm trying to find my family. I have a wife, two young daughters. I can't leave them alone," coughs wracked his body, blood spraying the air in front of him. "I need to find them. I can't leave them. They'll starve. Help me find them…" The man searched my eyes pleadingly.

Waves of anger rushed through my body, anger more intense than I had ever experienced before. _He_ was the source of this war. _He_ was to blame… and he had the nerve to beg to me, expecting my help. What a Migikata soldier was doing wondering in a forest in the heart of Roshin, I had no idea. But it was his mistake, not mine.

I unsheathed one of my daggers, my sweaty palm gripping it tightly. In a flash I aimed and launched the blade out of my hand. Time seemed to slow as the blade slowly cut through the air, imbedding itself in the man's chest. A perfect shot, placed exactly in his heart. The man tumbled backwards and fell to the ground, lifeless.

I just killed a Migikata. And it felt _good_.

Suddenly, the air in front of me exploded in a blinding white light, and a wave of energy swept me off my feet and knocked me to the ground. Wha-?

When I blinked the stars out of my eyes a fair maiden stood before me, any sign of the murdered man's carcass completely vanished. She had flowing, pink hair that reached her hips, and a pure white robe loosely cloaking her body. She emitted a strange aura- I could sense her power, and I couldn't stop the fear that blossomed in my chest. "You must be Rin Kagami." Her voice was smooth and silky, yet strangely inhuman.

I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak.

Her eyes narrowed. "Please explain to me _why_ you would kill a man like the mirage you just murdered."

I sat their gaping at the mysterious woman. I finally gained the courage to talk, my voice coming out stronger than I expected. "He was a Migikata. He deserved to die."

The woman gave me a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You will be punished for your narrow-minded views. We can't afford to have more rulers like your father."

I gasped as she slipped out a smooth, shiny black rod from her sleeve- a wand? Witches didn't exist, they were just stories parents made up to scare their children into going to bed early, right? I tried to move, to flee, but I was paralyzed. I glanced down and saw my body enveloped in an otherworldly pink glow.

I was scared. I wanted Rinto.

She began chanting in a foreign tongue, black tendrils of smoke billowing out of her cloak and surrounding me. My body was lifted into midair by some unseen force. And then I felt myself shrinking. I would have let out a bloodcurdling shriek if my vocal chords weren't frozen by whatever dark magic this woman was using on me.

The world was huge. Blades of grass rose up to my waist, and the woman in front of me rose like a mountain in the distance. I hadn't noticed before, but it had started to rain, and drops of water fell from the sky, dousing me in bucketfuls of water. What was going on…?

Suddenly the woman bent before me and cupped me in her smooth, pale hands. Her fingers brushed painfully against my wings.

Wait. Wings!?

She raised me up to eye-level. "Congratulations Ms. Kagami," the woman smirked, her horrible lips magnified in my new line of vision. "Enjoy yourself as a faerie: winged creature by day, human girl by night. I hope you'll learn your lesson."

She tossed my unmoving body up into the rain-filled sky, and a sudden gust of wind whipped my body through the air with ease. The pink glow outlining my body grew brighter, burning into my vision, and the world went black.

* * *

**Well, Rin's personality turned out to be... colorful. She's going to be fun to mess with, I can already tell. xD  
And I have no idea why I'm spelling it 'faerie' instead of 'fairy'. It just looks cooler, I guess. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Len! Len! Look what we found!" The two young girls ran to greet their older brother, wide eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Oh? What do you have?" The boy asked cheerfully, attempting to mask the exhaustion that threatened to spill out in his voice. His shift at the coal mines ended early today, and the mid-afternoon sun beat down at them as they walked the gravel path that led to their home. It was a small, cozy cottage that been constructed from wooden planks that long since chipped and separated over the years of harsh weather, topped with roof shingles that hung in rusty masses, barely holding their proper position.

"We found a flutter-girl!" the four-year-old, Neru, proudly exclaimed, then raced ahead of the others, arms flapping at her sides as she pretended to fly.

"She's very pretty," the one-year-older and slightly calmer sister, Mayu, mentioned.

Len smiled at his siblings' imaginations. "Alright, let's have a look at this flutter-girl of yours." He eased the door open and ushered the girls inside.

"Len's home!" Neru exclaimed, still beating her arms incessantly.

Almost instantly an older girl with blond curly hair popped out of the kitchen, cradling a tiny boy in her arms. Her face brightened when she saw them. "Len, you're early!"

A smile crossed Len's face, the immediately dissolved into a worried expression "Hey SeeU, how's mom doing?"

"She's doing great!" SeeU answered in false cheerfulness. Their eyes met, exchanging words neither dared to say out loud. _It's not looking good._ SeeU cleared her throat. "So, is Oliver coming home soon?"

"No, his sector still has work to do," he responded. At age ten, Oliver was the only other sibling old enough to work- except for SeeU, who was twelve but couldn't get a job due to gender restrictions. Ever since their dad went to war and never returned, they haven't been able to scrap up nearly enough income to support the whole family.

Neru tugged at Len's arm, trying to get his attention. "Leeeeen, come see the flutter-girl!" She begged.

Len pushed aside his worries and forced a smile. "Alright, let's see what you've got." Neru and Mayu grabbed each hand and pulled him to the cramped kitchen, seating him at the table. "Wait here, we'll bring her," Neru exclaimed, hardly containing her excitement. The two girls rushed outside again and returned with a murky glass jar, setting it on the table in front of him.

Len peered into the dirty glass and smiled when he saw unmistakable intricate designs of butterfly wings. "Looks like you caught a butterfly. They're beautiful creatures, just like you two." He reached out and ruffled their hair playfully.

They shook their heads in unison. "No," Mayu protested. "This is different! Look at her!" She reached over the table and tapped at the glass. Len looked closer, this time straining his eyes to see past the grime.

"Holy-" the boy almost fell out of his chair. "What is that?!"

SeeU noticed the commotion and entered the kitchen. "What's going on?"

Len just stared at the container in disbelief. Inside the jar he saw a face. A human face. Attached to those butterfly wings was a... a girl!

He turned to Mayu and Neru, who were staring expectantly at him. "Where on earth did you guys get this?"

"I found her lying outside in the garden!" Mayu answered, pride eminent in her voice.

"And I helped catch her!" Neru reminded her.

"Well, we can't keep her- er, it here," Len said.

"What are we going to do with her, then?" Mayu questioned.

She stumped him there. "U-ummm..."

"What is it you guys are fussing over?" SeeU mumbled, pushing her way to see the jar. A confused expression crossed her face briefly, then her eyes lit up. "She looks like something out of the folk tales I read! Like those magical nymphs!" SeeU loved to read whatever she could get her hands on- Len had no idea how she even learned to read; the rest of the family was illiterate. Only the higher classes could afford an education. She looked thoughtful for a second, pondering something. "Her eyes are closed and she's not moving... is she dead?"

"Air! She- it needs to breathe!" Len exclaimed, slightly panicked, fumbling for the jar lid. When he managed to unscrew the top he reached in and delicately took the creature in his cupped hands. "She's still breathing," he mumbled, relieved. "She-uh, it must be asleep."

He brought the winged creature to eye level and took a closer look at it. Mayu had been right when she said it was pretty. It had shoulder-length golden blonde hair, a yellow knee-length dress that seemed to glitter when it caught the sunlight, and soft facial features.

"So, what are we going to do with her?" SeeU inquired.

Len lowered his hands and placed the creature on the table. "I guess we'll wait until it- er, she wakes up."

* * *

**Wow, short chapter. This was just to introduce Len and his family, so future chapters will be longer, I promise. You know, I've never realized how many blond Vocaloids there were before writing this. :P**

**44Anifreak44: Haha, here he is! :)**

**Guest: I wondered if someone would recognize the kingdom names. xD Let's see if anyone else does... And I know Corrupted Flower! :D HitoshizukuP's songs always tell good stories. **

**ninjagoforever1: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!**

**Rhette: Yeah, Rin has some... issues. xD Thanks for reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3

I rolled over, attempting to find a comfortable position on my four-poster bed. For some reason it felt unpleasantly stiff for the imported silk sheets that I'd requested personally. My face planting itself into a solid surface. Okay, this definitely was _not_ my bed...

Lifting my head up, I groggily blinked the sleep from my eyes. I was lying on a floor that seemed to endlessly expand in all directions. I've never seen this room before, was it a new addition to the castle? I pushed myself up to examine my surroundings more closely... only to find a huge face staring at me. A single golden eye peered down, strips of yellow gauze covering the other side of his face.

I jumped back, rubbing my eyes. This was the strangest dream I've had in a while. A humongous face watching me sleep.

"Len, she's up!" The face turned and a second one appeared beside it, this time a boy with messy bangs and ponytail paired blue eyes.

Make that two mysterious faces. Oooh, maybe I'd get to fight them. I reached for my waist, only to discover my leather sheaths absent. Darn, my weapons didn't cross over to dream world.

In the corner of my vision caught sight of something behind my back. Maybe I had a bow and some arrows? I grasped the object, pulling it towards me with difficulty. I winced as a searing pain shot down my back, and tried to examine the strange thing.

I fell to my knees in shock as the memories flooded my mind. Attached to my back was a translucent yellow wing, decorated with black spirals. This wasn't a dream! That enchantress turned me into a faerie! I-I had to find Rinto!

I looked back up at the boys, who were watching me in silent awe. I turned around, searching for some way of escape. I noticed gigantic white platforms rising up from the floor... wait... those are plates...

The realization struck me. I was kneeling on a dinner table! These people were going to eat me!

Panicked, I launched myself in the opposite direction of the looming faces, praying I ran fast enough to avoid their wrath.

"I think we're scaring her," one voice whispered, still sounding loud to my tiny ears. I ignored the comment and locked my eyes on a cracked wooden mug sitting nearby. If I just reached it, I could hide...

Fingers extended out of thin air, closing around my figure and pinning me into one of the boy's grasp. Air whipped in my ears as I was lifted up, and I wriggled and punched at the hands desperately. It didn't seem to have any effect.

The boy with the short ponytail raised me to eye-level, flashing a smile that radiated menace. Sort of.

"Hey," he whispered, almost soothingly. No, my shrunken ears must be distorting his voice. He was snarling at me. "Calm down, we won't hurt you."

That did little to comfort me. I began pounding at his fingers with renewed vigor. He loosened his grip on me and stretched his hands out, slightly cupped. I immediately tried to run onto his wrists and escape.

"Woah, settle down," he murmured, shaking me slightly so that I tumbled to a seated position in his palms' flesh.

A girl with golden eyes and a blond side ponytail grasped the messy-haired boy's shoulder. "She doesn't like you! Let me hold the flutter-girl!" She lunged and tore me from the boy's hands, her fingers pressing against my torso, hard. I couldn't breathe, and my ribs began to ache. She shook me like a rag doll, and my vision blurred as I was whipped back and forth. "I wanna fly like Flutter-Girl!"

"Be careful! You'll hurt her!" The boy exclaimed, alarmed. "You can hold her later, just let me handle her for now, okay?"

The girl muttered something I couldn't understand and dumped me back into the boy's hands. I gasped for breath, refilling my deprived lungs with air. I shakily gripped the boy's thumb for support.

Shadows washed over me, and I looked up to see more faces. How many were there?

"Look, Neru, you hurt her!"

"No I didn't! I didn't mean to..."

"Now you probably made her hate us."

"B-but-"

"Leave her be, Mayu, it was an accident."

I ignored the bickering voices, running ideas through my mind. There had to be a way to escape... I just haven't thought of one yet. Maybe I could fly? The thought was sickening.

I twitched my wings experimentally. I was surprised to discover I could move them fairly easily when I tried, like how I could move my arms and legs. I tried beating my wings, but I wasn't able to lift myself into the air. Useless things.

I gave up and slumped back into the boy's finger, trying not to cringe as I wrapped my arms around my aching ribcage.

"Awwww, she's so cute~" I heard a feminine voice coo. I didn't bother to look up at my captivated audience, instead I glared daggers at the calloused hand I was standing on.

I hated feeling this pathetic.

"Hey, I think she's glowing..." the boy with the ponytail trailed off, staring at me in shock.

I looked down and saw that he was right; a thin layer of yellow light enveloped my body, glowing brighter and brighter until I covered my eyes to avoid being blinded.

A strange tingling sensation crawled up my skin, and I felt myself growing larger. The boy let out a gasp and dropped me to the ground in a sitting position, where I continued to expand until I was my normal size.

I cautiously pealed my eyes open and examined myself, checking my back for wings. They were gone, leaving no mark of ever existing. I struggled to remember what that wicked enchantress told me... something about being a human at night?

I looked up, only to see a group of kids gawking at me. The first thing I noticed was how dirty they looked. Layers of grime covered their pale skin, dirt clung to their knotted blond hair, and their clothes hung off their body in tattered rags.

The second thing I noticed was their house. It literally seemed as if it would collapse at any second. The wooden planks that composed the walls were rotted through and left huge gaps. The roof was caving in certain areas, and the all furniture was broken and lopsided. Everything was coated in either mud, dust, mold, or bugs.

I resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose. These people were peasants. Filthy peasants.

The crowd of kids were staring down at me like I was some sort of godly creature. I couldn't stand it. I glared back up at them.

After a couple minutes that seemed to stretch into hours, the messy-haired boy stepped forward and knelt down in front of me. "Hi," he said gently. "My name's Len Kagamine, and these are my siblings. If you don't mind me asking... what are you, exactly?"

I didn't answer his question. Peasants weren't worth talking to. I directed my glare at him, instead.

Len- no, he didn't deserve a name, I'd just call him Ponytail- misinterpreted my silence as confusion. "Do you understand me? Can you talk?" Typical. Most peasants were probably too uneducated to talk.

I was about to snap at him, stating that yes, of course I understood him. I opened my mouth... and no sound came out.

I tried again.

Nothing.

That stupid witch knew exactly how to wound my pride, evidently. I'd request her execution once I returned to the castle.

The castle! I had to get back to it! These barbarians would probably hold me hostage when they recognized me as the princess! Judging by the condition of their home, they were desperate for money.

Ponytail looked concerned and leaned in closer. "Is everything alright?" Geez, what was this kid's problem? He was getting way too close for comfort.

I disregarded his question and scanned the room for an escape route. The second I spotted a door I jumped up and dashed for it. Ponytail started, clearly not expecting my outbreak. "Stop! Really, we aren't going to hurt you!"

Of course. That was why they smashed my ribcage earlier. It still hurt, but I ignored the pain and pushed toward the door- unfortunately, the army of little peasants that had been standing idly behind Ponytail sprang into action, running to block my path.

Great. I was trapped. By a gang of preschoolers.

They shouldn't be too hard to get past. They all were scrawny and sickly looking; I'd probably be able to knock them out in one blow.

I turned to look back at Ponytail, who was standing behind me, keeping his distance. I looked past him and noticed an open window that was big enough for me to fit through. Target located.

I charged toward the window, practically flinging myself in desperation. Ponytail's eyes widened and he moved to block my path. "Hey, wait…"

I was running out of patience. I reared my leg and kicked him squarely in the chest. He fell backwards, grunting in pain. Annoying boy.

I ran past him- or tried to, at least. An explosion of pain erupted in my chest, causing me to stagger forward before collapsing to my knees. I attempted to lift myself up, only to crash down again when the slight movement sent a fresh pang through me. My eyes started to water a bit, I couldn't help it. It really hurt…

Ponytail slowly got to his feet and approached me cautiously, as if I was some sort of creature that would scamper away from sudden movement. I scowled at him, but he didn't waver. Instead he gave me a sympathetic expression and knelt down in front of me. I don't need a peasant's sympathy.

He stared at where I was clutching my stomach and tried to speak to me again. "Are you in pain?"

No, I just collapsed for no particular reason, why? I decided to temporarily swallow my pride and answered his inquiry with a tiny nod.

"Does it hurt when you breathe?" I nodded again. He bit his lip. "You might have a fractured rib." By now the other peasants were flocked around us, shifting nervously. "I need you to copy what I do. Place your hand here," he placed his own hand on a certain area of his chest, "and take a deep breath."

Ugh. I didn't have much of a choice, did I? I mimicked his action and took a breath that sent me sputtering. He had me repeat it a couple more times, each time putting pressure at a different location, until one position sent me doubling over in pain.

"There," he murmured, "is where the bone is broken. It's happened to me before." Very comforting. I gained the same ailment as a peasant. "It'll heal by itself, but you'll be uncomfortable for a while."

The girl with the side ponytail waddled up to me. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She burst into tears and tried to wrap her dirt-coated arms around me, but I roughly shoved the brat away.

Ponytail reached out and grabbed the girl's hand reassuringly. "Just give her some space for a little bit, okay?" he whispered to the girl, then directed his attention to me. "There's not really a way to relieve the pain."

I clutched my ribcage again. That wasn't good news…

"Don't touch it, okay? It'll probably heal faster." I shot him a glare and ignored him. He ignored that I ignored him. "Can you walk? You should probably sit down." Ponytail motioned for the lopsided chairs that lay scattered around the table. When I made no move to rise, he stood up and reached for my arm, but I batted his hand away and staggered to me feet myself.

It was agonizing, but I wasn't going to let these people contaminate me with their touch. I stumbled into the nearest chair, gasping for breaths that only hurt more.

"You're welcome to stay here while it heals." As if. "…You can't talk, can you?"

I mouthed the words '_I used to talk'_. I don't know if his puny peasant brain was able to read my lips, but he seemed to understand the general idea.

"Well…"

One of his siblings stepped forward, clutching the hem of her ragged dress anxiously. "Um, m-miss, can you wr-write?" I arched an eyebrow and nodded. "I-I have a board s-somewhere. I'll find it." She bent forward in a respectful bow and rushed off, her knotted long hair swaying wildly behind her.

Ponytail visibly relaxed a little. "Okay, so we can still communicate."

Sorry, I don't communicate with peasants.

"Here, I'll introduce you to our family while we're waiting. I'm Len, like I said earlier. This is Neru," he patted the young girl with the side ponytail, who was clinging onto his leg like her life depended on it. "This is Mayu," a slightly taller girl with pale hair stepped forward, flashing me a shy smile, "with little Leon." She was holding a sleeping infant. "Over here we have Oliver," he motioned toward the bandage boy from earlier, who raised his hand in a timid wave. "And SeeU is the girl who's bringing the board."

As if on cue we heard a bump, and turned to look at the girl, who was poking her head in a cabinet. She withdrew and grinned sheepishly, rubbing her temple. "I found it." She held up a black slate and a piece of chalk, then rushed towards us and slid it to me across the table.

"So," Ponytail began, "do you have a name?"

The family looked at me expectantly. I stared down at the slate. I had already decided I wouldn't use it.

…But I was too curious. Were these peasants actually literate? I highly doubted it. I lifted the chalk, and leaning my elbows against the table for support, I scrawled my first question. The kids clumped together and peered over my shoulders, glimpsing at what I wrote.

_Rin Kagami_

They stared at the name blankly. "What does it say, SeeU?" one of the girls, I think her name was Mayu, questioned.

"Rin Kagami?" SeeU said slowly, questioning her pronunciation. I nodded in response.

So only she could read. Darn, I wasn't counting on them being able to read it at all. If they recognized my surname I was in deep trouble.

"Hey, that sounds a lot like Kagamine!" annoying Neru pointed out gleefully.

"And why do you… shape shift?" Ponytail asked, failing to notice my royal lineage. Apparently these peasants were too dense to recognize their own ruler's name. "Are you some kind of magical creature?"

Why did Ponytail get to ask all the questions? I evaded his inquiries and wrote one of my own.

_Did the kick hurt, Len?_

SeeU scanned my calligraphy and burst into a fit of giggles.

The little bandage boy tugged on SeeU's tattered blouse, confused. "What's so funny?"

"Len~ she has a question for you~" SeeU taunted.

"Huh?"

"She wants to know if the kick she gave you hurt."

Ponytail's face immediately flushed and he absently pressed his hand to where I injured him, before retracting it suddenly. "Sorry for blocking your path, but we wanted to talk to you before you left…"

SeeU giggled again. "Well, she can't even talk."

_So how long will it take my ribs to heal?_

"She wants to know how long it'll take to heal her ribs."

"Well, I don't know if it will be the same for you," Ponytail said, "but when I had a couple broken ribs it took about… two months."

Two months! I wasn't in any condition to walk home. If I wasn't near the castle I could be stuck with these disgusting peasants!

Ponytail noticed my crestfallen expression. "Sorry about that."

Apology not accepted.

I grasped the chalk again._ Where am I? _I really hope I wasn't too far away…

"Shuujin Village," SeeU answered, not bothering to relay my question to the others.

Oddly, I'd never heard of it. I memorized all of the town names in Roshin- being a descendant of the royal family, it was vital information- but I couldn't recall any village with the name. Were they tricking me? Or maybe it was a part of those puny pesky countries that lay around the outskirts of Roshin.

_Kingdom?_

SeeU looked at me stangely. "Migikata, of course."

I couldn't help but drop the chalk and gape at her, but I recovered my composure, masking my shock.

Filthy _Migikata_ peasants. My disgust for this family was only growing. And I was forced to live with them until my ribs heal. _Two whole months_.

Scratch requesting an execution, the minute I planted my feet on Roshin soil I'd hunt the enchantress down and kill her myself.

* * *

**Looks like Rin is... a prisoner. ;D**

**44Anifreak44: Wow, you pretty much covered everything that happened in this chapter. xD I probably made it too predictable.**

**(new)Guest: Haha, thanks! Maybe I'll throw in a stalker-ish Tei somewhere along the way... I can't promise you she'll be a major character, though.**

**Rhette: Yep! I don't have the creativity to come up with original kingdom names... (you're reading a Kagamine fanfic by a user named mirrorsound, what do you expect? :P) And Rin needs a lesson or two. Or ten. I also adore Oliver! He doesn't have much of a role in this chapter, but he will in the future. ;)**

**Guest(from before): Hmm, I guess Mayu's hair is pretty white. For some reason I always see her drawn blond, though, so I never really realized. I should probably spend more time looking at songs with Vocaloids other than Rin and Len... :P And Rin hates everybody, pretty much. xD**


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